I Thessalonians 1: 4
INTRODUCTION:
INTRODUCTION:
The word election means to choose. We understand the word in political
terms. Every four years we choose a president to lead us. We elect them.
God also makes choices. God makes His own choices when it comes to working
through humanity. For instance, of all the people living on the earth at
that time, God chose Abraham to work through and build a nation. Why
Abraham? It was simply a sovereign choice that God made by His grace.
Later, God would choose to continue His work through Jacob instead of Esau.
Paul describes that choice in Romans 9: 11, "for the children not yet being
born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to
election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls." Israel, as
Jacob's descendants were called, were truly God's chosen people. Moses also
shares something with us about God's called people in Deuteronomy 7: 7, "The
Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in
number than any other people, for your were the least of all people." God's
choice of Israel to be His people was a sovereign choice based on His grace.
Following the resurrection, God set aside Israel and He chose to work
through a Gentile church. But, after the rapture, God will once again turn
to and work through the Jew.
God also chooses when it comes to salvation. Now, keep in mind that God's
desire is to see everyone saved. The Bible says that he is not willing that
any perish but that all come to a knowledge of the truth. the fact that
Jesus' desire is to save all is seen in that He went to the cross to pay for
the sins of all humanity. I John 2: 2 says, "And He is the propitiation for
our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
Jesus' desire to see the entire world saved can also be seen in His
commission to the church. He told us to go into all the world and preach
the gospel to every creature. God wants to see people saved, but he gives a
lost man a choice as well. When one who is lost hears the gospel, they are
responsible for what they do with the gospel. They can repent, turn to
Christ and be saved, or they can reject Jesus and remain lost. A lost
person chooses to go to heaven or to hell.
Inspite of the fact that man has a choice in this area of salvation, God
also makes a choice. that is seen in Romans 8: 29-30. "For whom He did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son,
that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did
predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also
justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." As we notice
these verses, we see that our salvation is based on God's foreknowledge. I
Peter 1: 2 also says, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God." You
see, God, being omniscient, knows the end from the beginning. And, even as
God gives a persona choice about salvation, God knows what they person is
going to do with that choice. Then, based on what He knows we will do with
Jesus, God then predestinates, calls, justifies and glorifies.
GOD HAS CHOSEN US FOR MORE THAN JUST GOING TO HEAVEN
For one thing, we have been chosen to bear fruit. John 15: 16 says, "I
chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit." God chose
us to bear fruit so we could glorify Him. John 15: 8 says, "Herein is my
Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit." God delights in see His power
displayed through flawed human beings. And to see fruit displayed through
us is something that we have to give Him credit for. Now, since God's
purpose in saving us is that we bear fruit, then we must be vessels He can
use to bear such fruit. Jesus told us that to bear fruit, we must abide in
the vine. That means we must be in fellowship with Him and obeying His
word. The believer who is in fellowship with Jesus and who is obeying His
word will be the believer who is fruitful and exhibiting works that reveal
they belong to God. We bear fruit because of our relationship with Christ
and because we are in fellowship with Christ. God chose us to be obedient
to Him, fellowship with Him and bear fruit.
We were also chosen to conform the the image of Jesus. God's purpose for us
is that we be like Jesus. And, that purpose will be fulfilled. It will be
fully seen at the rapture or the resurrection. Paul tells us in I
Corinthians 15 that when Jesus comes, we are going to be changed and given a
glorified body. I John 3: 2 says that that body will be like Jesus'. "When
He shall appear, we shall be like Him." God's purpose in choosing us is in
glorifying us and making us like Jesus. But, until the resurrection takes
place, we are on a day by day basis be conforming to the image of Christ.
We are to be living our our faith so that others can see that Jesus lives in
us.
God has also chosen us in order to reveal the greatness of His power. We see
this concept in I Corinthians 1: 26-31. The ones God chooses to work
through are people the world would never choose. When God instructed Samuel
to anoint a king over Israel, David was not his first choice. God had to
instruct Samuel, "for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on
the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." God's choice is
often different than man's choice. This is also seen in God's choice of
Amos to be his prophet. Amos was a herdsman and a farmer. This was not the
pedigree of a prophet yet it was God's choice and God moved through this
prophet. The world would not have chosen the men Jesus chose to be His
apostles, yet Jesus used these ignorant and unlearned men to turn a world
upside down. God loves to use nobodies to do His work and confound the
world. And in working through the nobody, God reveals the greatness of His
power. As Paul says, "it is not I, but Christ who lives in me," that does
the work. And when God works through the nobody, the world has to take
notice that they have been with Jesus. God didn't just choose us to go to
heaven-- He chose to use us.
BUT, PETER DOES WARN US IN II PETER 1: 10 TO MAKE OUR CALLING AND ELECTION
SURE
I Thessalonians 1: 4 tells us that we can know we are the elect, the chosen.
I John 5: 13 puts it another way, "that you may know that you have eternal
life." A believer can know that he or she belongs to God. As Paul would
say later in I Thessalonians 1: 5, "the gospel comes in much assurance."
Paul also says in II Timothy 1: 12, "I know whom I have believed, and am
persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him
against that day." Because we can know that we belong to God, Peter says,
be sure of it.
CONCLUSION:
Yes, God chooses but it is based on what He knows about us. We still have
the responsibility to receive Jesus. If one rejects Jesus, it is not God's
fault if they spend eternity in hell.
terms. Every four years we choose a president to lead us. We elect them.
God also makes choices. God makes His own choices when it comes to working
through humanity. For instance, of all the people living on the earth at
that time, God chose Abraham to work through and build a nation. Why
Abraham? It was simply a sovereign choice that God made by His grace.
Later, God would choose to continue His work through Jacob instead of Esau.
Paul describes that choice in Romans 9: 11, "for the children not yet being
born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to
election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls." Israel, as
Jacob's descendants were called, were truly God's chosen people. Moses also
shares something with us about God's called people in Deuteronomy 7: 7, "The
Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in
number than any other people, for your were the least of all people." God's
choice of Israel to be His people was a sovereign choice based on His grace.
Following the resurrection, God set aside Israel and He chose to work
through a Gentile church. But, after the rapture, God will once again turn
to and work through the Jew.
God also chooses when it comes to salvation. Now, keep in mind that God's
desire is to see everyone saved. The Bible says that he is not willing that
any perish but that all come to a knowledge of the truth. the fact that
Jesus' desire is to save all is seen in that He went to the cross to pay for
the sins of all humanity. I John 2: 2 says, "And He is the propitiation for
our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
Jesus' desire to see the entire world saved can also be seen in His
commission to the church. He told us to go into all the world and preach
the gospel to every creature. God wants to see people saved, but he gives a
lost man a choice as well. When one who is lost hears the gospel, they are
responsible for what they do with the gospel. They can repent, turn to
Christ and be saved, or they can reject Jesus and remain lost. A lost
person chooses to go to heaven or to hell.
Inspite of the fact that man has a choice in this area of salvation, God
also makes a choice. that is seen in Romans 8: 29-30. "For whom He did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son,
that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did
predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also
justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." As we notice
these verses, we see that our salvation is based on God's foreknowledge. I
Peter 1: 2 also says, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God." You
see, God, being omniscient, knows the end from the beginning. And, even as
God gives a persona choice about salvation, God knows what they person is
going to do with that choice. Then, based on what He knows we will do with
Jesus, God then predestinates, calls, justifies and glorifies.
GOD HAS CHOSEN US FOR MORE THAN JUST GOING TO HEAVEN
For one thing, we have been chosen to bear fruit. John 15: 16 says, "I
chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit." God chose
us to bear fruit so we could glorify Him. John 15: 8 says, "Herein is my
Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit." God delights in see His power
displayed through flawed human beings. And to see fruit displayed through
us is something that we have to give Him credit for. Now, since God's
purpose in saving us is that we bear fruit, then we must be vessels He can
use to bear such fruit. Jesus told us that to bear fruit, we must abide in
the vine. That means we must be in fellowship with Him and obeying His
word. The believer who is in fellowship with Jesus and who is obeying His
word will be the believer who is fruitful and exhibiting works that reveal
they belong to God. We bear fruit because of our relationship with Christ
and because we are in fellowship with Christ. God chose us to be obedient
to Him, fellowship with Him and bear fruit.
We were also chosen to conform the the image of Jesus. God's purpose for us
is that we be like Jesus. And, that purpose will be fulfilled. It will be
fully seen at the rapture or the resurrection. Paul tells us in I
Corinthians 15 that when Jesus comes, we are going to be changed and given a
glorified body. I John 3: 2 says that that body will be like Jesus'. "When
He shall appear, we shall be like Him." God's purpose in choosing us is in
glorifying us and making us like Jesus. But, until the resurrection takes
place, we are on a day by day basis be conforming to the image of Christ.
We are to be living our our faith so that others can see that Jesus lives in
us.
God has also chosen us in order to reveal the greatness of His power. We see
this concept in I Corinthians 1: 26-31. The ones God chooses to work
through are people the world would never choose. When God instructed Samuel
to anoint a king over Israel, David was not his first choice. God had to
instruct Samuel, "for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on
the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." God's choice is
often different than man's choice. This is also seen in God's choice of
Amos to be his prophet. Amos was a herdsman and a farmer. This was not the
pedigree of a prophet yet it was God's choice and God moved through this
prophet. The world would not have chosen the men Jesus chose to be His
apostles, yet Jesus used these ignorant and unlearned men to turn a world
upside down. God loves to use nobodies to do His work and confound the
world. And in working through the nobody, God reveals the greatness of His
power. As Paul says, "it is not I, but Christ who lives in me," that does
the work. And when God works through the nobody, the world has to take
notice that they have been with Jesus. God didn't just choose us to go to
heaven-- He chose to use us.
BUT, PETER DOES WARN US IN II PETER 1: 10 TO MAKE OUR CALLING AND ELECTION
SURE
I Thessalonians 1: 4 tells us that we can know we are the elect, the chosen.
I John 5: 13 puts it another way, "that you may know that you have eternal
life." A believer can know that he or she belongs to God. As Paul would
say later in I Thessalonians 1: 5, "the gospel comes in much assurance."
Paul also says in II Timothy 1: 12, "I know whom I have believed, and am
persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him
against that day." Because we can know that we belong to God, Peter says,
be sure of it.
CONCLUSION:
Yes, God chooses but it is based on what He knows about us. We still have
the responsibility to receive Jesus. If one rejects Jesus, it is not God's
fault if they spend eternity in hell.
MIKE HONZELL, PASTOR
COLLEGE AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH
LEVELLAND, TEXAS
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